IDENTIFYING THE EARLY
UNITED STATES
MASONIC-RELATED STAMPS
The Masonic Stamp Club of New York, Inc.
Identifying the Early United States Masonic-Related Stamps
(1847-1866 Including Re-issues)
Christopher L. Murphy, BF
As time went on, inconsistency in number assignments has
greatly convoluted the cataloging process.
Although everything can be sorted out, the system is
highly confusing. I would far sooner see a unique stamp
number for a specific design—in other words, don’t use
this number for a variation.
Under this system we would have the stamp shown and
numbered, and everything concerning that stamp listed
below using a suffix. In other words, put everything
concerning a specific stamp in one spot, including the fault
examples.
Having said all of that, generally speaking, the
Masonic collector is only concerned with the basic
stamp design. In other words, he or she collects only
stamps that are different for reasons other than flaws,
color and so forth. In this case, the stamp number for
what you need is the FIRST number that shows the
design you are looking for. This will be the least
expensive version of the stamp because all of the
variations are rarities.
If, for example, you want Number 71 (Franklin) and
are told that only Number 100 is available, this is the
same stamp for your purpose, but it will be over 4 times
the price because it is a variation.
From my own perspective, most of the variations
are so minor, and so difficult to ascertain, they are not
worth the effort. Even if you think you might have one,
you have to get a professional to confirm your finding.
As to purchasing one for your collection, I would not
do so, even with some sort of certification.
The following presentation shows you how the
current cataloging system sort of ended-up.
Fortunately, as stamp printing processes became more
efficient, there were fewer and fewer variations, so the
problem sorted itself out.
I doubt that it would be worth-while for Scott to
revise the process used for the early stamps. It would
be a major project, and I suppose those who get
involved in early variations get familiar with the
system. Hopefully what I have provided here sheds a
little light if you have ever wondered about what was
going on in Scott catalogs.
he early (1847-1869) US stamp issues were all
beautiful stamps, however, they went on to create an
unprecedented nightmare for stamp collectors. The trouble
was that in those days the processes used to create stamps
were in their infancy. Plates cracked or became worn, color
was inconsistent, images shifted and so forth. These
conditions plus numerous other inconsistencies resulted in
many stamp variations. Nevertheless, we can reason that to
the postal service these were just annoyances. The stamp
faults did not affect the use of the stamps and that was all
they really cared about.
Furthermore, the postal people did not think that
anyone would bother about the little pieces of paper after
they had served their purpose. Nevertheless, by using very
fine engravings of the country’s most beloved statesmen,
the stamps appealed to those who appreciated art, and at
the same time aroused feelings of patriotism. Even as late
as 1869 there were people who had seen George
Washington and Benjamin Franklin in person. This
naturally led to people having a closer look at the little
portraits they stuck on letters. Variations were noticed and
when stamp collecting evolved, collecting the varieties
became part of the hobby.
Unfortunately, all of the variations for a particular
stamp issue were not discovered all at once. Stamps were
issued all across the country, so the process of finding a
variation and making it known took considerable time.
When the Scott people set out to assign stamp
numbers, they deemed it beneficial to provide a unique or
primary number to a variation. They devised a good
system for this by giving the basic stamp design a number
(this is the A number) and then reference that number
with the primary stamp number. Unfortunately, as a result,
the same stamp can have several primary stamp numbers.
If we look at the 21 stamps issued in the time period
1847-1869, it will be seen that there are 126 primary stamp
numbers. Please note that there are 4 stamps in this time
period that are not Masonic-related (Jefferson, and
Lincoln), so are not included in the following presentation.
Although in most cases a variation was given a primary
number, in some cases a suffix (A, B) was used. To further
confuse matters, beyond that there are sub-variations and
other specifics, including various types of cancellations.
T
2
1 FRANKLIN, BENJAMIN (A1 & A3)
13 WASHINGTON, GEORGE (A12)
38 FRANKLIN, BENJAMIN (A18
14-16 Washington, (Variations of #13)
2 WASHINGTON, GEO. (A2 & A4)
3 Franklin, (Variation of #1)
4 Washington, (Variation of #2)
39 WASHINGTON, GEORGE (A19)
17 WASHINGTON, GEORGE (A16)
18, 19, 20-24 Franklin, (Variations of
#5)
25-26 Washington, (Variations of #10)
31-36 Washington, (Variations of #13)
40 Franklin, (Variation of #5)
41 Washington, (Variation of #10)
43 Washington, (Variation of #13)
44 Washington, Variation of #17)
45 Washington, (Variation of #37)
46 Franklin, (Variation of #38)
47 Washington, (Variation of #3)
5 FRANKLIN, BENJAMIN (A5)
5A, 6-9 Franklin, (Variations of #5)
37 WASHINGTON, GEORGE (A17)
10 WASHINGTON, GEORGE (A10)
62B WASHINGTON, GEORGE (A27)
NOTATION: Washington and Franklin were highly beloved statesmen, so naturally
were depicted on the first US postage stamps. Four stamps are not shown because
they depict Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. Although there is controversy
as to Jefferson, the Missouri Lodge of Research has concluded that Jefferson was
not a Mason, stating all claims for his membership are based on association or
insinuation, with no recorded proof. Abraham Lincoln did petition for Masonic
membership, but postponed his application lest his motives should be misconstrued.
Had he not been assassinated it is very likely he would have became a member.
11, 11A Washington, (Variations of #10)
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63 FRANKLIN, BENJAMIN (A24)
71 FRANKLIN, BENJAMIN (A30)
64 WASHINGTON, GEORGE (A25)
72 WASHINGTON, GEORGE (A31)
65 Washington, (Variation of #64)
68 Washington, (Variation of #62B)
73 JACKSON, ANDREW (A32)
69 WASHINGTON, GEORGE (A28)
70 WASHINGTON, GEORGE (A29)
NOTATION: It is somewhat amusing that
up to this point 4 previous US presidents
were not depicted on stamps.(John
Adams, James Madison,James Monroe,
and John Quincy Adams). After Jackson,
8 more presidents are skipped, arriving at
Abraham Lincoln, Stamp No. 77. It
appears popularity was the criteria for
selection, and the postal authorities were
trying to be very careful.
78 Washington, (Variation of #69)
79 Washington, (Variation of #64)
81 Franklin, (Variation of #71)
82, 83 Washington, (Variations of #64)
84 Jackson,(Variation of #73)
4
85 Washington, (Variation of #64)
85A Franklin, (Variation of #63)
85B Jackson, (Variation of #73)
85C Washington, (Variation of #64)
85D Washington, (Variation of #61B)
85E Washington, (Variation of #69)
86 Franklin, (Variation of #63)
87 Jackson, (Variation of #73)
88 Washington, (Variation of #64)
90 Washington, (Variation of #70)
92 Franklin, (Variation of #63)
93 Jackson, (Variation of #73)
94 Washington, (Variation of #64)
96 Washington, (Variation of #62B)
97 Washington, (Variation of #69)
99 Washington, (Variation of #70)
100 Franklin, (Variation of #71)
101 Washington, (Variation of #72)
102 Franklin, (Variation) of #63)
103 Jackson, (Variation of #73)
104 Washington, (Variation of #64)
106 Washington, (Variation of #62B)
107 Washington, (Variation of #69)
109 Washington, (Variation of #70)
110 Franklin, (Variation of #71)
111 Washington, (Variation of #72)
NOTATION: By 1923 the age of the great
US stamp flaw discoveries essentially
came to an end. During this period of 76
years, printing processes greatly
improved and the postal people
apparently adopted very stringent quality
control procedures.
We might conclude that stamp
collectors and dealers played a major
part in getting the improvements. As the
hobby grew in popularity (likely starting
with children who carried on as adults)
every new stamp issue would have been
overly scrutinized. To see the extent of
this, one has to merely look at the fault
examples shown in the Scott catalogs.
The Scott people state up front:
“Values for early and valuable stamps
are for examples with certificates of
authenticity from acknowledged expert
committees…” It appears from this
statement that several opinions are
needed to confirm a variety. I have
problems seeing the flaws even in the
enlarged examples Scott provides, so
can understand the concern.
I am sure that with current-day
scanners, possible flaw identification
would be much easier, but even then one
would need expert confirmation.